This is a concern I’ve had for a while, and just today a developer friend has brought it up. He asked me if I had a driver’s license, and when I said no, he said that many companies require a driver’s license, and without it you simply don’t get the job, no matter how good you are.

My issue with the driver’s license isn’t really simple. I want to get it, I really do, but after 5 failed attempts at the test, I’ve kinda lost hope of ever passing. I’m still gonna try of course, but I don’t have much hope. At some point I’m going to give up (I almost did but my instructor convinced not to), but I would totally hate to have it negatively impact my chances at getting a developer job. I’ve already accepted that I might be stuck with public transport forever, but will companies do? Will this fact decrease my chances? Also, anyone else in a similar situation with similar concerns?

I don’t know why I’m asking this here. I guess it’s because some people here have experience and often have good advice, plus the fact that I can’t think of another place to ask something related to getting a coding job.

PS: You’re probably thinking now that the roads are safer without people like me on them, but it’s okay because I’ve come across this a million times online in replies to posts by people in the same situation. That said, I’m actually a pretty good driver, I’m just super unlucky when it comes to the test and I’m also super, super nervous (this doesn’t happen with other types of tests, like exams for example, only in the driving test).

I’m sure any form of ID is fine. You can get a state issued ID even if you don’t drive.

If you live in a major metropolitan area, finding work that is accessible by public transportation should also not be a problem. I haven’t used a car to commute to work for nearly a decade now. I’m working as a web developer.

Thanks for the reply. I don’t live in the US though. What my friend meant is that they require a driver’s license in order to commute to work, although public transportation is widely available in my country, especially in the larger cities (where I’ll most likely be working when it comes to getting a job). I don’t know why a driver’s license is necessary when you can get there for much cheaper and with much less hassle using public transport.

That’s messed up… I guess the only thing you can do is get really good, then you can be selective about which companies you work for and make your #1 criterion “doesn’t have a laughably stupid hiring policy”.

In this case:
They require you to have a driving license possibly to make sure that you have your own way of getting to the office. In France, as you may know, there are a number of strikes. So it’s quite common to see subways, trains, buses stop/or not available for days.

Best way to know for sure is probably to just ask companies about that and know once and for all why they would need that while you can prove them that you can get there easily ( you live within walking distance? Maybe you even have a bike?

I’m guessing that this is regional, if it’s a thing at all. Every development job that I’ve ever applied for assumes that you have a plan for getting to work every day. No one cares if it’s a car, a bike, or a magic carpet. In some major cities many people go their entire lives without ever driving a car. Now if someone was consistently missing work because of transportation issues, they might lose their job.

Some other things to consider are that self-driving cars are on the verge of commercialization (in a couple of years, at least) and that remote work is becoming more common. Companies requiring employees to have driving licences are really stuck in the past.